Oak Brook, IL – The long-anticipated USBC Junior Gold Championships and USBC Youth Open Championships have been going on in DuPage County since July 9. The DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and Stardust Bowl Group (SBG) partnered to bring these national events to DuPage. Early projections show an estimated economic impact for the area of about $17 million. “This is a prime example of how visitors participating in events, tournaments and meetings in DuPage County play a vital economic role and are absolutely essential for Illinois’ recovery,” states Executive Director Beth Marchetti of the DuPage CVB. “In addition to the state and local hotel taxes generated by these visitors, trips to attractions, waterparks, restaurants, stores, gas stations, and many other local businesses will result in significant additional tax revenue.” The DuPage CVB’s focus on economic development, particularly in the areas of destination development, strategic partnerships, and community collaborations, will help ensure DuPage County remains a strong contender in today’s increasingly competitive hospitality landscape.
Securing and supporting large-scale events such as the USBC tournaments is just one example of how the organization remains integral on a broad scale to advancing growth for the area. The Youth Open Championships ran July 9-26, and the Junior Gold event was held July 11-17. These tournaments have generated over 6,358 room nights in DuPage County hotels so far, according to preliminary reports from Connections Housing, the Georgia-based hotel reservation company hired by tournament officials. Audited final pickup numbers won’t be available until mid-August.
Hotel overflow, or compression, was felt throughout Chicagoland, particularly in the communities of Schaumburg, St. Charles, Elgin, Hillside and others close to DuPage County and the bowling centers that handled tournament play. A total of over 300 lanes were used in six bowling centers for these tournaments. Venues included Stardust Bowl in Addison, Hillside Bowl in Hillside, Classic Bowl in Morton Grove, Orland Bowl in Orland Park, Brunswick Zone in River Grove and Fox Bowl in Wheaton. After the July 11th tournament registration event at the DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago Oak Brook, General Manager Chris Johnson stated, “We sold over $25,000 in food and beverage in temporary food stations in a four-hour window.
Unbelievable!” The Doubletree was the host hotel for both championship events. (continued) 915 Harger Road, Suite 120, Oak Brook, IL 60523 630.575.8070 ▪ visitor@discoverdupage.com ▪ www.discoverdupage.com “On average, every bowler brought 3.8 people along, so orchestrating the flow of 11,800 people through the parking lot, hotel and registration required a well-rehearsed plan to ensure a good experience for our guests,” commented Marchetti. “This truly was a team effort by many of our communities, but particularly Oak Brook and Addison, whose unparalleled efforts ensured safety and support for all of our athletes and families.”
The Junior Gold Championships will air as a three-telecast series on CBS Sports Network on Aug. 4, 11 and 18 at 10:00 p.m. Video footage which highlighted iconic landmarks in DuPage County was provided by the DuPage CVB and area communities for commercial break lead-ins and outs. “Our director of sales, Lisa Landers, is already working with Henry Barber and Jim Saffold of Stardust Bowl Group and tournament organizers to secure a spot for DuPage County in their next rotation cycle, possibly as soon as 2018,” Marchetti added. Contact Nanette Traetow at the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau at 630.575.8070 or nanette@discoverdupage.com for more information about these events and DuPage County’s involvement. PICTURED: DuPage CVB Executive Director Beth Marchetti and Stardust Bowl General Manager Jim Saffold at USBC Junior Gold registration at the DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago Oak Brook.
About DuPage County DuPage County is the second most populous county in Illinois after Cook County, which borders it to the north and east. Together, the two counties account for half of the state’s population. One of the nation’s wealthiest counties, DuPage is rich in many types of commerce and is second only to Cook in tourism revenue. With its well-developed highway and mass transit systems, DuPage is easily accessible from O’Hare and Midway Airports, as well as the City of Chicago. About DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau The DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau was established through the efforts of a coalition of DuPage area hotel executives and business representatives in 1987, and was formally certified in 1989 by the State of Illinois. It remains the official agency for promoting the county’s multibillion dollar tourism industry and marketing DuPage County as an enticing destination for leisure and business travelers, meeting planners, groups and conventions, in order to enhance the economic development of the area. The CVB plays a powerful role in generating tourism revenue for DuPage County, which ranks second only to Cook County in visitor expenditures—over $2.4 billion last year alone.